Mooring mast and mooring gear for airships



Mar. 13, 1923. l,448,88

G. H. SCOTT MOORING MAST AND MOORING GEAR FOR AIRSHIPS F1] ed Aug. 22 192] 2 sheets-sheet 2 jnwr f W W Patented Ti -flan; 13, 1923.

MOORING MAST AND MOORING GEAR FDR Application filed August :22, 1921.. Serial Ho. 45* 5367.

To all whom it mayo concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE HERBERT "loorr, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in Beckenham, Kent, England, have invented certain new and useful linprovements in Mooring Masts and Mooring Gear for Airships, of which the following isa spe ification.

This invention relates to mooring masts and their associated gear forairships of the kind in which a mooring fitting on the bow ot the ship is coupled to a resiliently mounted mooring fitting on the mast head with the aid of a mooring cable.

According to the present invention the airship is moored to a fitting carried by a swinging arm mounted at the top oi. the masthead, and this fitting and the arm are so supported that the fitting has complete azimuthal freedom and is capable of assuming any inclination, within limits, in any vertical plane.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. l is an elevation partly in section of the upper end of a mooring mast constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sec tion of the mast fitting showing the application of a detail hereinafter referred to; Fig 3 is a plan view of the platform at the top of the mast showing one form of eentring arrangement for the tilting lever.

The 'n'zast 1 is of lattice structure and ca rries at its upper end a steel plate pedestal 2 the upper part of which is conical and which is surrounded at its base by a circular platform The latter may be reached from the ground by means of a ladder inside the mast and a short external ladder connects it with a lower platform secured to the lattice structure. The upper part of the pedestal is titted with a pair of gynibal rings 4, 5 the inner one of which supports at an intermediate point a steel telescopictube 6, 7 which is normally kept extended by means of a series of strong helical springs 8 lit-ted inside the tube. Spring-urged latches 9 engage a collar at the lower end of the inner tube 7 to prevent the latter being forced out of the outer tube by the s rings 8, while permitting to be telescope within the outer tube, The tube 6, 7 can be restored to the vertical po sition, when displaced therefrom, by means of four wire ropes 10 attached to eyes 11 on the lower end of the tube inside the pedestal 2. These ropes pass around a series of sheaves l2 and rollers 13 and terminate in a single eye 14 to which the book of a difierential pulley block 15 is attached. The other hook of the block is secured to the mast so that by hauling" on the Working chain 16 all four centring wires 10 can be tightened simultaneously to bring the tube, 6, 7 into the vertical position, or can he slackened oil to permit the inclination of the tube.

The upper end of the tube 7 has fitted to it a bell-mouthed conical cup 17 torn'ied with a flange at its lower end which is bolted to a (corresponding flange on a tube 18 mounted to rotate freely on ball thrust bearings 19 and radial bearings 20 titted in the tube 7. The conical masthead fitting 17 cooperates with the fitting carried on the nose oi the airship, which comprises a short horizontal outrigger 21 which is adapted to turn about a longitudinal axis on the ship and to which is hinged a, male cone 22 having a taper corresponding with that of the conical cup of the masthead fitting. The outrigger 21 is also provided with a sheave 23 over which a wire rope 24L passes "from the airship down through the axis of the cone By means of this rope the cone on the airship is drawn into the cup on the masthead fitting in the operation of mooring, after attachment of the haulingdn rope. When an airship is to be moored a considerable length of the haulingdn rope is paid out and brought down to the ground and laid out to leeward of the mast,-towards which side also the tilting telescopic tube is inclined. Vihen the air ship has reached the approximate mooring position the wire rope is let down from the nose fitting andlattache'd to the hauling-in rope by a suitable coupling device. The airship then riscsby discharge of ballast, lifting the rope from the ground, and is then hauled down by winding in the hauling-in rope until the cone 22 is pulled right home into the cup 17, in which position it is held by springmrged latches fitted in the walls of the cup. The shock of engagement of cone and cup, or the liability to damage due to overwinding is met by the telescopic chap actor of the tube ti, 7, resulting merely in the compression of the springs 8 within the tube. The hauling in is continued. pref erably by hand gear, until the inner tube 7 1S 'telescoped into the outer tube 6 to such an extent that the latches 9 engage behind the collar 26 towards the upper end of the inner tube 7. The tube is then brought into the vertical position by the centring wires 10 and fixed in this position as by bars $2.7 adjusted between the lower end of the. tube 7 and the base of the pedestal 2. The airship fitting 22 being secured by the latches 25, the hauling-in rope can be disconnected and the wire rope belonging to the ships equipment drawn up into the vessel. Another wire rope 28 (Fig. 2}, which is attached to the nose of the ship b means of a small bridle, is then passed down through the conical fittings 22, 17 and telescopic tube 6, 7 and attached to the mast structure by an extension screw or turnbuckle device 29, shewn in the lower part of Fig. 1. To release the ship from the mast the pressure on the latches 25 is relieved by tightening up the turnlnickle 29, leaving the ship temporarily secured by the releasing pendant 28 which. when the pilot is ready to start, is freed. as for example by knocking back a slip link 29 on a shackle connecting the turnbuckle 29 with the rope. When the. ship is clear the tube is extended by withdrawing the spring latches 9, the upward movement of the inner tube being controlled by means of a steel plate fitting 30 (F g. 2) which is placed in the cup 17 and a rope passed through the tube, 6, 7 to the winding gear below.

It will be understood that the, precise construction hereinbcforc described maybe departed from in many respects without exceeding the scope of the present invention. For example, instead of depei'iding on the tension on the mooring cable for exerting automatically a righting couple. on the. tilting lever, for whichpurpose the. cab e is led between rollers vertically" under the centre of support of the lever, a resilient erecting de vice may be applied to the lower end of the. lever so as to constrain thev tilting thereof and when tilted apply a restoring couple.

To facilitate engagement oi the ship and masthead fitting cones, the, female. cone may be made of a wider angle than the. other.

lilaving thus described the nature of my said invention and the best means I-know of carrying the same into practical effect I clainiz '1. Apparatus for mooring airships comprising a mooring mast, an arm or lever mounted thereon with freedom to tilt in any vertical plane, a mooring fitting on the said arm, and a mooring fitting on the airship adapted to be coupled with the mooring fitting on the arm.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the engaging fittings are in the form of a male cone on the airship and a temale cone on the tilting lever, or conversely.

3. An apparatus according to claim l, wherein the tilting lever has a telescopic construction and is normall extended by the. action of springs or equivalent mechanism.

4. An apparatus according to claim i. wherein the lever telescope-(l f r mooring purposes by winding up the hauling-in cable and is secured by springer-god latches.

5. An apparatus according to claim l, wherein the tilting lever is provided with means whereby it can be centred or erected when the ship is moored.

6. An apparatus according to claim wherein the male and t'ei'nale cones are provided with coupling devices adapted to hold the fittings coupled after the hauling-in cable is cast oft,

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the masthead mooring fitting is movable axially upon the. tilting' lever and also rotatable about the axis thereof.

8. An apparatus according to claim l. wherein the ship mooring fitting is minintcd to swing in two planes at right angles to each other.

9. In an apparatus for mooring airships, the combination of supporting ineans, longitudinall y' adjustable means mounted on the. Said supporting means ha ting a coupling member, a coupling member forming a universal ioint attached to the nose of the airship, and means for drawing said coupling members into engagement with each other.

10. In an apparatus for mooring airships,

supporting means, a telescopic boom pit otally mounted thereon and having a look.- ing coupling member, a coupling member for attachment to the. nose of an al iip adapted to engage and be locked in the iilUling coupling member and means for drawing the coppling members into engagementwith each other. 11. in an apparatus for mooring airships, a substantially cone-shaped coupling member for attachment to the nose of an airship and having a universal joint, a tfillilvl ligjf member mounted on telescopic. means and having a substantially cone-shapcd socket and locking means tor locking the cane!- shapcd couplin member therein, a swivel post on which said conwshapcd socket meniher is mounted, supporting means for said post and means for drawing the said coupling members into engagement with each other.

12. In an apparatus for mooring airsliips. the combination of a. siu'u'iorting means. a telescopic boom mounted on said supporting means, alocking-box upon the end of salt. boom, a coupling member attached by a universal joint and swivel to the nose of t airship, and a flexible member passing;

lit)

through the axial line of said boom, lockand be looked in the lockingpoupiing mem- 1 ing-box and coupling member between the her and means for drawing the coupling airship and the mooring mast. members into engagement with each other.

13. In an apparatus for mooring airships, In testimony whereof I have signed my supporting means, a telescopically yielding, name to this specification. 1 shock absorbin boom pivotally mounted' v thereon and having a locking coupling mem- GEORGE HERBERT SCOTT. ber, a coupling member for attachment to Witness 2 the nose of an airship adapted to engage T. J. OSMAN. 

